Tuesday, June 8, 2010

'90s Babies Got No Pride

I'm watching the MTV Movie Awards last night on re-run cuz quite frankly the NBA Finals were on while it was live, and I ain't no bitch. Two things popped out at me throughout the evening. First, early on it was clearly and shamelessly established that the awards might as well have been called "The Twilight Show and Friends" because cameras couldn't leave Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner and Kristen Stewart all night, and neither could nominations and awards. Another year in which "hot" white women ruled the winners of things, but it was the performances and guest appearances that really caught my eye.

What year would you think it was? The correct answer is somewhere between '96-'01, with 1999 bein most accurate. But it's 2010!

Where are all the new superstars? And no, Twilight, Harry Potter and the like don't count because they are niche gimmicks who will be gone in two years.

Where's the next generation of superstars who are really good? Some of you will tout Lil Wayne, forgetting that he had two albums in before Y2K. Took him a decade to build enough juice to have his own light-skinned Memphis Bleek named Drake, but he's still fairly "old school." I say that because us in our mid-late twenties can't believe we'd be called that, but ask a teenager today how old they were when 50 Cent or Nelly dropped and a harsh reality check ensues.

Superstars who started their career within the last five years are who? T-Pain maybe? Lady Gaga? Who else? Even Kanye seems old school now.

The acting landscape is even bleaker. Whereas our new stars included Will Smith, Omar Epps, Tupac, Gabrielle Union, Zoe Saldana, etc, these kids have who?

1993 Chuck

1995 Penny's

Their style game is retarded too. I was on te subway yesterday and kids ha on Penny Hardaways, Charles Barkleys, and Ken Griffeys. Word son? All three are retired, the design screams '90s, yet many of the generation don't even realize the shoes are old designs brought back at higher prices.

It's not just the '90s getting bit either. Karate Kid and A-Team are new movies. Eddie Murphy is about to tour stand-up. Close are tight, but so pants sag. People have Mohawks and bawdy piercings, and also fitted caps. Snoop is still the coolest celeb, Puff is popular as hell, Jay-Z and Lil Wayne are the "best" rappers, Nas just dropped and album, and Sandra Bullock is the most popular actress.

The 2000s seem to not know whether they are the '90s or '80s, but when will they establish themselves?